Even Thomas the Tank Engine Was a Digital Fake in Ant-Man

Visual effects studio DNEG just released a behind-the-scenes look at its post-production work on the original Ant-Man movie, ahead of the sequel’s delayed release in the UK in a few weeks. It’s no surprise that shrinking actors to the size of an ant requires extensive digital fakery, but even the film’s cameo by Thomas the Tank Engine (both the small and large versions) was realized through CG.

As fun as it is to imagine a Hollywood-sized crew lighting and filming a tiny children’s toy as it chugs around a track, it’s just easier and cheaper to pull off such effects using computer graphics these days—even if the industry struggles with adequately paying VFX artists for all their hard work and long hours during post-production.